Stephen Hanson, MPA, PA-C, served the physician associate profession for more than four decades, practicing from April 1, 1982 to April 1, 2023. A 1981 graduate of the Stanford University Primary Care Associate Program in Palo Alto, California, Hanson spent his entire clinical career in Bakersfield, California, serving his community in a wide variety of clinical settings.
Hanson began his career with the Kern County Health Department, where his responsibilities included direct patient care as well as involvement in public health planning. This experience inspired him to pursue additional education, and in 1987 he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from California State College, Bakersfield. He later completed a Master of Public Administration at California State University, Bakersfield in 1993, where his graduate studies focused on health care reform. During his graduate studies he was elected to Pi Alpha Alpha, the global honor society for public affairs and administration.
From public health, Stephen Hanson moved to Planned Parenthood of Central California where he provided patient care from 1990 to 1995. During this time he also served as a media spokesperson for the organization and was a clinical instructor for the Planned Parenthood of Central California OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner Program.
Hanson later shifted his clinical focus to occupational medicine, where he practiced for nearly a decade before forming his own professional corporation, which allowed him to broaden his work across several medical specialties. From 2009 to 2017 he worked at the Burn Center at San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield. Over the course of his career he also practiced extensively in plastic and reconstructive surgery, general surgery, and wound care, ultimately retiring from clinical practice in wound care on March 1, 2023.
While maintaining a demanding clinical career, Hanson became deeply involved in leadership and policy development within the physician associate profession. In the early 1990s he began serving in leadership roles within the California Academy of PAs and the American Academy of PAs. He served as vice president of the California Academy of PAs in 1993, president-elect in 1994, and president in 1995.
Hanson has served as a California delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates since 1992. His interest in policy development led to service on a House Reference Committee for two years and later to appointment to the AAPA Professional Practice Council.
One of Hanson’s most enduring contributions to the physician associate profession came through his work on professional ethics. While serving on the AAPA Professional Practice Council he was the lead author of the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct of the PA Profession, a document developed as the work product of the council. These guidelines helped clarify the ethical responsibilities of physician associates in clinical practice and professional relationships and provided a framework to guide PAs in maintaining the highest standards of integrity, patient advocacy, and professional accountability.
His leadership within the AAPA continued to grow. In 2000 he was elected Second Vice Speaker of the House, and in 2002 he was elected Speaker of the House and AAPA Vice President, a position he held for three years. In this role he worked to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the House of Delegates and to strengthen its role in guiding the profession.
In 2008 an unexpected and difficult circumstance led to Hanson’s election as AAPA President-Elect. One of his closest friends, Paul Robinson, who was serving as AAPA President-Elect, died suddenly and unexpectedly. Hanson was elected by the House of Delegates to fill the position, giving him the unique distinction of being the only AAPA President elected directly by the House of Delegates. Although stepping into the role under tragic circumstances, he served the profession with dedication and leadership.
During his AAPA presidency, the United States Congress passed the Affordable Care Act which recognized physician associates as essential members of the health care team. Hanson was proud to have participated in the advocacy efforts surrounding its passage and the recognition of physician associates within the evolving health care system.
Throughout his career Stephen Hanson received numerous honors for his service to the profession, including the AAPA House of Delegates Outstanding Service Award and the Kern County Outstanding PA of the Year Award.
Hanson retired from active clinical practice on March 1, 2023, after more than four decades of service to patients and the physician associate profession. In retirement he focuses on overlanding adventures, volunteer work in Guatemala, cooking, spending time with his children and grandchildren, and enjoying golf. He especially enjoys traveling the world and sharing life’s adventures with his wife, Kiersten Hanson, PA-C.
If you would like to watch an interview that Mr. Hanson gave the PA History Society, please click here.
Acknowledgments: This Biographical Sketch was prepared by members of the PAHx Board of Trustees. This biography was updated by Stephen Hanson In March 2026. Photographs in color were provided by Mr. Hanson; the black and white top image is courtesy of the PA History Society’s Photgraph Collection.
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